st_oriedqueen: (commune)
[personal profile] st_oriedqueen
Out beyond the greenhouse and the gardens, in the orchards she'd nurtured with love, and magic, and friends, Regina had stripped her usual business casual battle armor in favor of a softer mien. She rested beneath the shade of a tree, inhabited by an elemental named Manzanita, who understood nothing of fashion, everything of fornication and fertility, and laughed like a babbling brook or syrup sap at the words she didn't understand from the fashion magazines Regina read to her beneath her boughs.

At her feet or more occasionally her head, a puppy-now-nearly-a-dog sprawled, his tail thumping when his mistress laughed unusually loudly. From time to time, inexplicably, a black kitten-cat herded by a spirit Russian Blue appeared to torment the dog. Behind them in a magically constructed paddock, a mare grazed, keeping quiet watch over the antics, and less quiet watch over the picnic basket of fresh fruit (apples, and plums, and pears, and berries and cherries, oh my) on a picnic blanket at Regina's side.

The conversation that was more of a communion took a turn for the sly when Manzanita detected thoughts of a certain wolf in her not-a-druid's mind. It wasn't words, but a suggestion, perhaps Regina might leave this issue of outer-bark wholly behind. Head back, laughing, Regina (briefly, magically) shed her clothes for a light dusting of leaves. (Please, let me down, Mama. I'll be good.)

On second thought, with a flip of her wrists to replace her clothes, she murmured, "Smelling like forest is freedom enough."

[ooc: Slow because shit is real, but hit me til I scream. Find Regina in the orchards she planted at any time during this post. Avoid seeing her naked if your fireball tolerance is low. Otherwise, fireball forecast: low. Title quote: Rumi.]
st_arlord: (Smug)
[personal profile] st_arlord
It had been a few days stuck in an Inn that Quill thought was pretty fantastic except for the fact he was stuck there. It was a place he would bring Gamora, but first he needed to find Gamora. In order to find Gamora, he needed to be back him. This was the main problem.

He was thankful that he could get his nose healed. It looked good-as-new and still one of his best features.

Currently he was looking over the bakery goods. Brownies are classic, but the cupcakes look equally as good
st_illfleshandblood: (passed out)
[personal profile] st_illfleshandblood
Jackson is a fucking idiot, and gets into trouble with the Ver. It requires a wizard, a witch and a cleric to get him out of that trouble.

You fucking idiot. )
st_arkcrowblack: (As I surrender unto sleep)
[personal profile] st_arkcrowblack
It was night and everything smelled like the sea.

Snow White lay spread-eagle in middle of the parking lot, staring up at the stars. Her hair fanned around her head, inky black and, seeing as she hadn’t bothered to cut it since her arrival, growing almost absurdly long.

The sun had set over an hour ago and the sky was full into the black. The moon, not quite full but still nearly so, shone down silver and cool like a single huge, impassive eye. The sight of so much sky and so little horizon left her feeling dizzy, as though if she could forget the feeling of pavement under her back she might float upward and be lost in that eternity up there. It reminded her distantly of Mrs. H’s mirror and how it had caught the moon in its glass. But not enough to spoil the view. Not enough to make her afraid.

She’d had the nightmare again last night, the one where she was caught in the room full of fire. In the beginning it came every night. Then slowly but surely, it became less frequent. She hadn’t burned through the night in months. Logically, it would be months again before the fire, but she still couldn’t quite face going in, lying down, and closing her eyes.

She thought of Sansa and--because she had never asked--wondered if the stars in Westeros were different from the ones above her now. She wondered if that velvet black had a texture, and then if it was stupid to wonder that. She named all the constellations and stars she knew, some from her childhood observations, some from books she’d read in the library. Her gaze fixed for a time on Polaris.

She didn’t think anybody was around to hear her. “It’s so far away that no matter where we are, that’s still north.” It was a wild thought.
st_oriedqueen: (Default)
[personal profile] st_oriedqueen
May 1, International Labourer's Day, May Day.

As a girl, Regina had always wanted to attend the dances in the village, to hold a string and decorate the Maypole. Her mother had always said it was inappropriate. The one time she'd tried to go, her mother had trapped her in her room.

What had her thinking about May Day today, though, was the sheer volume of cakes and pies in the Slayer's Cake and the Copper Cafe. She'd even behaved cordially in the kitchen with Emma, when making an apple turnover and apple fritters to honor Ignis. He hadn't had much success in teaching her to cook, but she'd miss his even-tempered way with her.

She wasn't entirely sure whether it was May Day or Ignis or the frost broken during Bad Girls karaoke with Bo that had her sitting in the cafe today, and for once, she didn't particularly care. She was here, out among the people she considered hers, enjoying them--even if they never knew it.


[Regina isn't EPing. This is your regular check-in day GP.]
st_abby: (official_portrait)
[personal profile] st_abby
The calendar of "Kahl-ee-Fornea" was very different to that of Tal'Dorei. But the spring dance had been a good reminder for the Exandrians (one of them, anyway) that the Renewal Festival would take place more or less this time of year, landing always on the thirteenth day of Dulahei. It seemed a fitting time to set the 'small family dinner' in celebration of the marriage of Vex and Percy.

...Yeah, but no. Because Vax'ildan didn't mind a bit of revenge for their having done the thing without so much as telling him for several weeks, and because his sister always deserved the best of everything anyway, the garden had a whopping lot more than that for the happy couple as they opened the doors onto what first looked like pitch blackness. Until the big, white-hot spotlight snapped abruptly on to glare down on top of the pair with blinding scrutiny.

A familiar voice sang out from beyond, his ever-charming booming and crooning amplified to fill the whole of the outdoors by something called a 'microphone,' Scanlan using all his singular panache to belt out a melodic tune:

"There she is, Mrs. De Rolo
There she is, your ideal
The dreams of a million boys and girls who want to find love in Emon City
For Vex may turn out to more than Baroness of the first house of Whitestone and Grand Mistress of the Hunt
There he is, Mr. De Rolo
There he is, your ideal
With so much brooding and tinkering he took the town by storm
With his all-Whitestone face and form
And there they are
Walking on air, he is
Fairest of the fair, she is
There they are - Mr. and Mrs. De Rolooooooooooo~"

A resounding wave of applause, murmuring, cheers, and laughter broke out all around the newlyweds - one such unbridled merry cackle absolutely coming from the bride's brother - and Scanlan's tone changed immediately to a much more vibrant, excited, sporting-event-enthusiasm style of announcement: "Ladies and Gentlemen - it's the DE ROLO FAMILY!"

The strands of bulb lighting popped into yellow-soft brightness all at once, revealing the guests gathered around dozens of tables artfully set with dinner places enough for everyone at the Inn. Each table included flowers, linens, and garlands all matched in smart Whitestone-Blue, darker Owlbear-Blue, black and white with touches of gold accents, all thanks to Caroline's management. The outdoor area so far as one could see had been dressed in one of Lillith's illusions to mimic a beautiful forest clearing at purple-dusk with fireflies dancing, the shapes of buildings and foothills in the distance distinctly cast to look like the city and castle of Whitestone. Ignis and Emma stood by putting a few final touches on what they'd all started calling 'fancy barbecue,' an enormous buffet of haute cuisine smoked and grilled meats with artful sides, a table beside them holding up the massive layer cake Pike had tirelessly fussed into perfection. So many others had come together to help or to wish the de Rolos well - but there would be plenty of time over the evening for them to be thanked and recognized with food, drink, song - there was even an area marked out as a dance floor.

A freshly bathed Trinket in his very own bowtie lumbered up to Vex'ahlia to rumble and lick her face as the pair finally had a moment to react to the spectacle. At ground-level, a small disc-like device with a large serving spoon taped to it had been labeled with marker as Ensign Stubby, rolling its way between tables and chairs while balancing a large, many-times-stabbed basket of flower petals (with a handful left nestled in its giant spoon) on top of its flat surface like a drunken flower girl to finally bump into Vex and Percy's shoes. ...And possibly the best thing about their stunning surprise? That Peter boy had got the whole thing on VHS.
st_igmatized: (Two cultures)
[personal profile] st_igmatized
Sunny made a point of staying out of Emma’s way during the mealtime rushes (unless her help was requested for whatever reason), but aside from that she liked spending time in the kitchens. Cooking was one of the ways she stayed connected to home and family while she was away. In London it had been half necessity since she’d needed to cook for herself. Here at the Madonna it was more meditation and mental health exercise. She didn't need to cook to eat, but she needed to cook to keep the homesickness at bay.

And since she’d gotten her Easter egg, she could do this right. Inside had lay some tainted peppers (good for magical recipes) and several mundane spices that the Madonna's kitchen just didn't have. She’d need to talk to Regina about planting the seeds at some point, but for right now, she was busy making herself some tainted pepper soup, a staple food as far as Leopard People were concerned. She was making it mild, though ‘mild’ for anything with tainted peppers was still pretty fiery (Sasha liked his hot because apparently he hated having taste buds, something even Chichi wasn’t stupid enough to agree with). Sugar Cream had taught her this recipe, and the act of cooking it always made Sunny think of her strict but loving mentor.

This was something she was going to do alone because the dish was rather demanding. Isong’s slim green book lay open on the counter, and her green knife beside, though she didn’t use it to chop. Still, this was a shared kitchen, between those who worked here regularly, those who came in to talk to them, and those who came in to make their own food.

“I wouldn’t touch that,” she said casually to the presence behind her. “That soup tends to explode if you’re sloppy with it.”
st_alksthroughwalls: (research frustration)
[personal profile] st_alksthroughwalls
The morning sun broke through leftover clouds, warming their backs as they ran. They'd been keeping up a running banter on the subject of Easter, Passover, and April Fool's Day, and what the Inn might do about any of them.

"Head first, obviously," Steph said, as they topped a rise.

"Totally. Feet first is just cruel," Kitty agreed, even though she was hardly an expert on the subject of chocolate Easter bunnies.

"Anyway, it's just not Easter without peep-jousting."

"Hey, it could happen." Kitty winced at the image of giant peeps having a medieval tournament on the main lawn and Ghostbusters-style marshmallow goo everywhere. An almost literal shudder passed over her at another thought, "Pray we don't get April Fool's versions of the Ten Plagues."

"That doesn't sound like comedy," Steph said.

"My point exactly." They hit the end of their route and turned to head back. "The Inn only thinks it's funny."

A few minutes passed in near silence as Kitty thought about all the ways this could go horribly wrong. Steph's, "Huh," broke her contemplation, and she followed the direction of Steph's pointing.

"Somehow," Steph said, "I didn't think an Easter egg hunt was even an option."

* * *
Whether Steph and Kitty were the first to discover the brightly colored eggs that didn't seem to want to open or not, they were definitely not the only ones. By the time they hauled a few eggs back to the cafe, showered and returned, the eggs were starting to pile up. So far, none of them were open, even though there were clearly items of varying weights inside.

"I really hope those aren't new arrivals," Kitty said to no one in particular, because there were just too many ways the Inn could play with death, dough, risen and rise.
st_andingtall: (wounded)
[personal profile] st_andingtall
Sam and Caroline have a conversation they've both been dreading. She's just been expecting it for longer.
When: Feb. 3
Where: Hotel grounds

There is no you and me. That's what we agreed on. )

Going back to work doesn't turn out exactly how Caroline plans.

I think I've convinced the staff chef to stick to buffalo wings for the party. )
st_rikingblueeyes: (Dreaming big)
[personal profile] st_rikingblueeyes
Some time ago, Corbie had found a calendar and counted back from the spring equinox. And then ahead from the winter solstice. And settled on a date. And then she’d done it again the next day. And again the next, until she was finally satisfied that she’d correctly translated between calendar systems and definitely had the correct date. Caroline had caught her at it and pried it out of her that Corbie had been trying to figure out when her birthday was and, wheels turning behind her eyes, Caroline had left it there. And Corbie had forgotten all about it.

Which was how she could be surprised now as she was shunted into the cafe that Caroline had bullied cake out of Pike and had possibly bullied other people around the inn to come eat it.

Okay, that wasn’t fair. It was a kind gesture, since Corbie hadn’t told anybody. Hadn’t intended on telling anybody. Growing up, her birthday was only so big a deal. She and Gran hadn’t had very much money for presents or treats, though Gran had tried when Corbie was small; they were both always more concerned with having enough to get by. Birthdays were for rich kids. Or at least bourgeois kids. And then there was just the part where… well, what was the point? They were here. It made doing anything special for anybody kind of hard. If anybody cared enough.

… Okay, she was being entirely unfair, because here were two people who had cared enough and had tried for her and it was incredibly sweet.

Unexpected tears in her eyes, Corbie laughed and flitted to the café door, calling out to anybody in earshot. “Come help me eat cake!”
st_affofthemoon: (Default)
[personal profile] st_affofthemoon
Zahra needed to get a lay of the land now that she had arrived and things seemed to have calmed down a little. She was sure leaving the room would worry Kash, but she had only ventured out a few times briefly and now it felt right. She had filled him in on everything that she knew happened back home, spent many days enjoying the marvel of hot baths on demand, and discovered what a 'TV' was and tried to get some idea of what this plane was like. Now it was time to experience it for herself.

Zahra did not hide what she was. The red-skinned Tiefling wore a grey dress with a hole cut and sewn to allow her tail freedom of movement behind her. She decided to leave her staff behind, but she had done so after a lot of thought. The humans here didn't need to see her walking around with a weapon, but she felt naked and vulnerable. Kash said they were safe and so she would lean on those words as she navigated the inn weaponless.

She found the pool, crouching down by the water and feeling the cool water against her fingers. She could smell something from the water that told her the water wasn't entirely pure. It took her some time to figure out it was a place to bathe or swim, like a lake in the middle of the forest. She did take note of the heated part of the pool.

Her next step was through the lobby to the bar. Taverns looked similar no matter what plane of existence you were on, it seemed. She felt her stomach growl and after a moment found her way to the restaurant. She ordered the chicken because it reminded her of Scanlan.


After her meal she found her way to the library. There were not as many books as there was in Whitestone or even the Slayer's Take, but there were many. She started to peruse.

Her last stop was to Vex's room. She knocked and waited patiently.

(ooc: Find her anywhere. She has white eyes with no pupil or iris and horns on her head.)
st_x5_494: (ugh)
[personal profile] st_x5_494
Alec was bored and so he decided to test the waters with the various creepy Inn workers. He started by walking up to the man at the desk. He plopped the towels down on the counter. Some were ripped, others had blood on them. "This is really unacceptable. How's a guy supposed to enjoy his time here at the Madonna Inn when these towels are dirty and destroyed? I thought this was a fine establishment, but I guess I was mistaken." The man behind the counter apologized, though there didn't seem to be any actual regret in his voice.

"Take this down. I want blue towels. They should smell like Lavender. And folded like various animals on my bed." There was a nod from the man, but how much would actually be followed through it would be hard to tell. Alec ended their interaction by tossing one of the towel's on the man's head.


His next destination was the kitchen. The chef was there preparing something chicken, as always. Alec stood next to the oven, watching. When the chef turned to get an ingredient, Alec flung a few shrimp into the dish. He watched with vague amusement as the chef came back, discovered the shrimp, and threw out the contents of the dish before starting over again. Alec repeated this a few times, the last two times being blatant about it and not getting much of a response from the chef at all.


Hours later Alec ran into the housekeeper. He spent a good hour walking behind her littering with small pieces of paper. Each time she'd stop and pick up or vacuum the mess. At one point he walked up looking earnest. "Oh here, let me help you." He grabbed the vacuum cleaner and 'accidentally' emptied its contents on the ground. The woman didn't even blink, but started to sweep the mess up.


After a while, Alec got bored of even this and ended up flopping down onto one of the couches in the lounge and exhaled.

(ooc: Feel free to find him at any point in his journey)
st_eampunk: (Molly with Spear)
[personal profile] st_eampunk
Molly had got in the habit of taking her new spear with her on her 'rounds' to find a weak spot in the bubble or whatever was keeping them in place. It also gave her a chance to practice a different tactic than what Kash was teaching her. Out in the open air, she combined magic with her weapon. The moves of her mentor were the same, it was the added 'rave touch' of a ball of light at the blunt end that was all Molly.

She found a spot, far enough from the stables that she wouldn't disturb the horses with her workout, but close enough to the Inn that she could still see it easily. It had taken her a week to truly get used to the weight of her spear, she'd been so used to using Kash's. Only a few bruises and a couple of slight nicks, both quickly healed, were the only visible marks of her learning curve.

Muscle memory took over as the tall blond went through each of her movements. A lunge to sweep an opponent off their feet, paired with an upper thrust to gut an enemy. The next move was fast and unexpected as a ball of light swirled around the blunt end of the spear that Molly twirled over her head and flicked into the empty landscape. There was a small muted blast as it sparkled bright, like a fireball and disappeared. It wasn't very effective in the desert, but in Mexico against the Red Court vampires, it would have taken out dozens with a poof. She was gaining confidence in her ability to be more offensive than defensive.

She spun the spear back and promptly hit herself in the temple. "Shit. That's going to leave a mark." Okay, maybe the learning curve was still there. Her hand came up and rubbed at the reddening area.
st_oriedqueen: (behind these eyes)
[personal profile] st_oriedqueen
After Kash's meeting, Dyson finds Regina for a conversation about hearts.

This may hurt a bit, Wolf. )
st_opsummoningme: (demon days)
[personal profile] st_opsummoningme
Freedom from her bonds had given Illyana more than freedom of movement. It had returned to her the use of her magik and her ability to teleport. These abilities had, in turn, allowed her to finish making ready the library for public use. It was less about collecting books and media from around the premises (and some from Limbo, or donated collections harvested from the Otherworlds) and arranging shelving and seating, most of which had been relatively easily done. It was more a matter of laying the appropriate wards, and negotiating the finer points of the old-fashioned catalog and check-out system, which included odd donated items such as sporting equipment and electronic devices available for rental. Xavin's espresso machine counter necessitated a mini-bar refrigerator, glass-domed cake stands for assorted pastries brought in from the kitchen, and various cafe sundries.

Repurposed from what had been the 'Garden Room,' the library space with its high wooden ceilings, chandeliers, and landscape murals over busy floral carpet still looked somewhat like a touristy banquet hall, yet the area was now also highly saturated with layered magic. The hodgepodge collection of random books and so on were fiercely protected by these magics. When needed and as possible, worn volumes had been restored. The books could not be damaged nor marred from here on out, at least not by coffee spills nor page-tearing or inconsiderate attempts at margin notation. Nor would they leave the boundaries of the library area without proper dispensation, simply stopping mid-air and dropping should the attempt be made at the threshold. Ask at the Desk for Assistance With These Items, prompted the signs on several glass display cases featuring certain perhaps unsettling curiosities within - books in arcane languages, skulls from indeterminate creatures, and artifacts such as a green glowing cube suspended on a chain. At said desk, a gleaming service bell sat waiting, should the staff be needed and not clearly present.

Illyana finished affixing the large engraved plaque to the wall beside the double-doors, and then returned to attend the newly opened library with little fanfare:

Madonna Inn Expanded Public Library

Established ~01.25.2018 Earthly Gregorian Calendar

Open All Hours

Volunteer Staff on Duty as Schedules Allow

Classes & Tutoring for Most Subjects Available Upon Request

Donations Encouraged

Disruptive Patrons Will Be Zealously Evicted
st_abby: (raven_cloak)
[personal profile] st_abby
Vax shows off a bit before asking Regina about the aspect of his shrine to the Raven Queen in the temple space that he's most uncertain about. Of course, that requires explaining a few things...

Gods knew she had been responsible for other bloodbaths. Perhaps she could make amends with this one. )
st_rongheart: (casual?)
[personal profile] st_rongheart
It had taken a good three weeks for Sora and Peter to gather enough materials and also enough nerve to put on the fireworks that Peter had felt were missing from New Year's. They'd filched, over time, a pile of steel wool pads and an embarrassing number of whisks. Why they needed those things, Sora didn't exactly know.

Once everything was gathered up, Sora and Peter met outside, a safe (probably!) distance from the Inn. Peter showed Sora how to stretch out a pad of steel wool and jam it inside a whisk, then he attached long ropes of webbing to the ends of the whisks and fastened them to the ground. While he did that, he cheerfully explained how the webbing worked and how he was sure it would stick to the ground right and everything would be fine. There was a lot of math and other things Sora did not understand at all, but he was absolutely confident that Peter was right.

Once everything was fastened properly, Peter gave the nod.

Sora called out the Keyblade, stood in the middle of the webby circle of stuffed whisks, and cast Aeroga. Swirling winds came out of nowhere to lift up the whisks and spin them in the air, held in control only by the webbing ropes. Next came Thunder - bolts of lightning to ignite the wool in the whisks as they spun. (Peter had been sure that Fire wouldn't work, it had to be Thunder. And he was so right!)

Then the boys settled, more or less, to watch their homemade fireworks spinning and throwing sparks.
st_opsummoningme: (xsuit)
[personal profile] st_opsummoningme
With some assistance, Illyana's restraints come off, the magical and technological concerns around being electrocuted or exploded seemingly accounted for in their plan. But not everything goes precisely as expected.

'Katya, why do you cry?' 'I just blew up your sister.' )
st_oneswidow: (Singing)
[personal profile] st_oneswidow
At some point when she wasn't paying attention, this had become something of a ritual in Curnen's life. The days where they might expect people to turn up at the inn, she'd be on the roof of the main building singing up at the sky. It wasn't like winter was really a barrier here. It wasn't like winter was really happening. But a body could get awful far away from the inn and not know quite where to go.

Besides, it felt good, really letting her voice out in full force. She knew people could hear her all over the grounds, but it didn't feel like having an audience.

She'd picked this one up in Maine, and while it wasn't an obvious choice for any sort of come this way sort of magic, it was a work song. The kind of thing with an easy pattern that anybody could pick up.

Oh, we'd be alright if the wind was in our sails
We'd be alright if the wind was in our sails
We'd be alright if the wind was in our sails
And we'll all hang on behind...

And we'll ro-o-oll the old chariot along!
We'll ro-o-oll the golden chariot along!
We'll ro-o-oll the old chariot along!
And we'll all hang on behind!


Come on here. You'd be all right.
st_arkcrowblack: (Big damn guns)
[personal profile] st_arkcrowblack
She was gone. Sansa was gone.

It wasn't unusual for Snow White not to see Sansa for a day or two. Sansa kept to herself much of the time, shy of many of the inn’s inhabitants. But she would find Snow, would talk to Snow, and it would always bring light and warmth to Snow’s day to see her. She didn’t understand why. She didn’t need to know, so long as she could have this.

Yesterday had been just about the most magical day in her life. She'd found Sansa building a castle in the snow, and they'd worked quietly together on this tiny model of a castle called Winterfell. Snow had finally worked up her nerve and kissed her after those last touches were made. It had been terrifying. It had been achingly sweet. But it had not been bad. Neither of them knew what it meant, and yet...

And then today she just knew something was different. Something was wrong. She had gone to Sansa’s room. Then to the desk.

She didn’t cry. Or scream, or rage. Instead she calmly and quietly collected four glass bottles from the bar and took them out to a fence along the road.

She had four bullets left in Rose Red. Two had been used in Songrun, and she had been saving the rest until Percy could make her more. She lined up the bottles on the fence, and stepped back as far as she thought she could manage.

Four.

Three.

Two.

One.

Zero.

She dropped the gun and went down on her knees in the grass, staring at nothing.

Profile

strangetrip: (Default)
Strange Trip

December 2019

S M T W T F S
1234567
891011121314
1516171819 2021
222324 25262728
293031    

Syndicate

RSS Atom

Most Popular Tags

Style Credit

Expand Cut Tags

No cut tags
Page generated Jun. 19th, 2025 06:55 pm
Powered by Dreamwidth Studios